| Part 2 of this Overview on Social Security disability should fill in gaps and answer questions you may have thought of after reading Part 1. After completing Part 2, read the Questions, Tips, and Advice that may help you with your Social Security or SSI claim for disability, and possibly improve your chances of winning the benefits to which you are entitled. |
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To apply for Social Security Disability or SSI benefits based on disability, a person must first make a claim. This is done by contacting the Social Security office, either by phone or by visiting a local office. The best method for initiating a disability claim is debatable. As many individuals can attest, getting through on the phone to apply for social security can be a difficult task in itself. On the other hand, trying to be seen as a walk-in can mean hours of waiting simply to be given an appointment to return at a later date. (TIP) It's probably better to use the phone. By calling when social security opens, a person can avoid the telephone log jam. Also, by calling, a claim applicant for disability benefits can arrange for a phone interview rather than an interview conducted in-person. Interviewing over-the-phone is typically more convenient than traveling to the Social Security Office. Though Disability application's are filed at the Social Security Office, that is not where they are evaluated. Completed disability applications are actually sent to a state agency called Disability Determination Services, or DDS for short. At DDS, they are assigned to disability specialists known as Examiners. Examiners are the individuals who make decisions (typically a denial) on Social Security cases (at the Initial and Reconsideration levels). How long a Social Security Disability case stays at DDS depends on many factors, such as how many cases a particular Examiner has, or how long it takes an Examiner to gather a claimant's medical information. Consequently, a claim may be at DDS for as little as a month, or as long as several months. There is really no way to know, even for the Examiner, how long a Social Security disability case may take. (TIP) Therefore, when social security advises that a decision will be made within 90 to 120 days, take this WITH MANY GRAINS OF SALT. In all truth and candor, there is NO WAY OF KNOWING how long a Social Security or SSI claim for Disability will be worked on, simply because the Claims Rep at social security (the worker who took the application) does not work on the medical evaluation--the Examiner at DDS does. And since this is true, (TIP) while a case is at DDS it is pointless to call Social Security to inquire about the status of the claim. However, (TIP) it is a very good idea to contact the disability Examiner while the case is at DDS. This is for several reasons:
In the course of working on a benefits claim for Social Security or SSI, a disability Examiner may do one or more of the following:
What usually delays a claim is waiting for medical records information to be received. Therefore, (TIP) whenever possible, social security & SSI claimants should obtain their own medical records and submit them when they apply (making sure, of course, to keep a copy for themselves---social security has a terrible habit of losing information that's needed for a disability claim). Usually, once an Examiner has all the medical evidence gathered, a claim decision follows shortly. Unfortunately, in most cases, the decision on a disability claim will be a denial. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
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SOCIAL SECURITY LAWYER - SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAWYER REFERRAL ANSWERS TO YOUR SSDI & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 1 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSDI & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 2 |
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